Never Be Alone
by Smart Owl
Summary: Inspired by Shawn Mendes's "Never Be Alone"


**A/N: This is my first attempt at the fanfiction world of Pretty Little Liars. The couple may not be the most conventional but it's the one I like most.**

 **English isn't my first language, so I apologize if any mistakes went unnoticed.**

 **I want to thank my muse, who helped me to have inspiration for this story (and that would kill me if I didn't post soon) and aussiephoenix7, an author I admire a lot and who helped me too.**

 **Without futher ado, I hope you enjoy the story, and let me know what you think about it.**

 **Smart Owl.**

"I promise that one day I'll be around, I'll keep you safe and sound." Her naturally husky voice was hoarser than usual.

Emily Fields looked up at the ceiling. She was lying on the king size bed in the dark room, whose only illumination came from the moonlight that entered through the glass wall. Her phone was propped on the pillow beside her, the call on the speakerphone.

"It's been years Spence." Emily murmured tiredly, physically and mentally, but she didn't know which state was the most dominant.

"Right now it's pretty crazy, and I don't know how stop or slow it down. I wish I could, though." Spencer answered softly, a note of sadness noticeable in her voice.

Emily sighed. Here in the dark, with Spencer's voice echoing from the loudspeaker of the phone, if she closed her eyes, she could imagine that the brunette was there beside her. But she was actually 10,724km away.

No one imagined Spencer Hastings would join the Army. Of course, she was athletic, strong, determined and as Hanna used to say, very uptight. But everyone imagined that she would follow in her family's footsteps and become the next great Hastings lawyer. So the surprise was general when she announced that she would enlist.

At first nobody wanted to accept that idea. But Spencer had already thought of everything, and her enlistment was practically guaranteed, the only thing left was accept her decision. Emily stayed for almost a week without talking to her, since Spencer had never said she wanted to enlist, and they had been dating for over a year, not counting all the years of friendship. She also didn't want to see Spencer in a war, her father already took risks, she didn't want to think about her girlfriend at risk either.

But accept was all she could do if that was what Spencer wanted, and because her girlfriend supported Emily in everything, she would reciprocate giving the support that Spencer needed, even if her heart was tight.

Emily's mind wandered to 10 years ago, the night before Spencer needed to show up at the base to begin her training. Hanna decided to have a farewell party, just for family and close friends, so that everyone could stay with Spencer one last time.

" _A penny for your thoughts? Spencer asked with a mischievous smile, approaching._

 _Emily turned, unable to not smile at the sight of her girlfriend. For someone who was about to have a life totally different from the one she was accustomed to, Spencer seemed quite calm and relaxed. She had to admit, the idea of the farewell party Hanna had planned had been great. Spencer liked the presence of everyone and had a lot of fun. Even Veronica had come to hug her daughter and wish her good luck. Peter and Melissa didn't even call or attend, but that was expected, and Spencer didn't seem to care much about the lack of their presense in the party._

 _"My thoughts are worth more than a penny." Emily retorted, crossing her arms and trying to keep a serious face._

 _Spencer smiled and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling Emily's body to herself. No longer wanting to keep her pose serious, Emily wrapped her arms around her neck and rubbed her nose at hers, pulling out a low laughter from Spencer._

 _"Tomorrow you will begin a new life. Are you ready for that? "Her voice dropped, more than she wanted. Despite already accepting the decision she still had a thread of hope that Spencer changed her mind._

 _Arms tightened around her, and she felt Spencer's sigh._

 _"More prepared than ever. I know it's not what you'd like to hear, but thank you for the support you're giving me." Spencer murmured softly._

 _Emily laid her head on Spencer's neck, not wanting to let go. She wanted to get away with the brunette, but she would never do that. It meant a lot to have Spencer's support, she would give her's now to her girlfriend._

 _"I just wish you could stay safe. But if that's what you want, then I'll support you. I will pray every day so that you return well." Emily wasn't exactly a religious person like her parents, but she believed in God, and she would certainly pray for Spencer's safety._

 _The brunette pushed herself away from the embrace, just enough to hold Emily's face in her hands._

 _"I know there are some things we need to talk about, but I can't stay longer than today. Just let me hold you for a little longer now." Spencer spoke gently._

 _Embraced with the starry sky and the moon as the only witnesses, both held each other knowing it would be a long time until they could be in the same position again. Emily had no idea how much time had passed but she felt Spencer take a hand from her waist and pull away. And then a little box of blue velvet appeared between their bodies._

 _"Spence ..." Emily whispered, looking at the object, a sudden knot formed in her throat._

 _Spencer handed the box to Emily, who hesitantly opened it. Inside lay a simple thin gold necklace whose pendant was a small red heart, certainly made with a precious stone. It was small, delicate, and the kind of accessory Emily liked to use. Her eyes, with tears forming in the corners, left the piece to face the brown eyes she loved so much. They shone, pure love reflected in the irises._

 _"I cannot give you my heart, so let's imagine that the necklace is a part of it. So I want you to take this piece of my heart and make it all your own so when we're apart you never be alone." Spencer explained, her voice only a passionate murmur._

 _The tears that filled Emily's eyes could no longer be contained, and they flowed freely. Her fingers trembled as she took the necklace, and Spencer gently took it from her hands to put it on Emily herself. Properly closed, the pendant had the exact height of where a heart was, something that, knowing Spencer, had been millimetrically planned._

 _Looking up again, words were no longer necessary. Emily just pulled Spencer's face and kissed her. It wasn't the last kiss they would exchange until the next day, but there was no doubt about it, that was the most significant kiss of all._

"Em?" Spencer's worried voice took Emily from her memories. Without her noticing, she smiled.

"I was lost in thought. At your farewell party, to be more exact." As she spoke, Emily's hands came down to touch the small heart resting against her chest. 10 years could have passed, but Emily always wore that necklace. It was a way to have a piece of Spencer always with her.

"I actually gave to you a piece of my heart that night." Even without seeing her, Emily could hear Spencer's sweet smile.

Calls were rare, almost as much as the periods Spencer could come and visit. While in Pakistan both calls and visits were more frequent, but since her mission had taken her to Afghanistan three years ago the closest contact Emily had was through letters; the calls and visits were rare. The last time they had met was a year ago, when they got married.

A small and simple wedding, followed by a quick honeymoon, as Spencer had only 10 days off before returning to her mission. Although they had discussed marriage before, Emily figured that if they did, it would only be when Spencer had finally left the Army. But the brunette organized everything in secret, and Emily only knew when Hanna and Aria, under the pretext of a girls's night, took her to one of the fancy hotels in the city. They went to the hotel's ballroom, whose decoration was already ready and next to the judge of peace was Spencer, perfectly uniformed and with a broad smile.

Emily still wondered which shock had been bigger: to see Spencer (she didn't told her she would have a break) or her surprise wedding. But the shock didn't matter, even if they hadn't had a proper engagement (Spencer, at the airport before her departure, swore they would marry, and both considered themselves brides), Emily would marry the woman she loved anyway. And she was wearing a simple white dress (which Hanna chose and imposed on Emily to wear, even with her arguing that she wouldn't wear such a beautiful white dress for a simple girls's night), with only Hanna, Caleb, Aria, Ezra, her mother and Veronica witnessing, when Emily became Mrs. Fields-Hastings.

They stayed on the dinner after the ceremony just a little bit, as they had a flight to Paris to pick up. And there they passed the honeymoon, almost without leaving the room, because there was much longing and love to be consumed. They could see the Eiffel Tower at another opportunity.

But the honeymoon was over, and with that, Spencer was back in Afghanistan in the middle of one of the country's worst conflicts. And she was in one of the worst cities, where the danger was constant. Emily never lost the habit of praying for her safety every night, but in the Afghanistan period, her prayers were more fervent than usual.

Spencer had no idea when she could come back again. From what Emily followed in the papers, the conflict was far from settled. Every time a news of a bombing broke out, Emily's heart stopped. Hanna, Aria, and her mother followed the news like her, but Emily's motives were connected to whether Spencer was all right and their motive was to call and reassure Emily that everything was fine.

And Spencer was always sending letters or calling when possible. But even if she could read and, like that night in question, hear her voice, Emily missed the physical presence of her wife.

Her melancholy sigh escaped, and the other side of the line was quiet. Spencer could already recognize Emily's sighs, especially the sad, longing and wistful ones, as they were unfortunately the most common.

"I miss you, Spence. When are you coming back? "Emily asked softly, so low that she feared that her voice wouldn't be heard, though it might be a good thing, since she didn't want Spencer to hear the slight tremor in her voice.

Emily didn't cry much. Of course, she missed Spencer a lot, and during the nights it was always worse because she was alone in bed. But she could control herself. But some nights were harder, sometimes without a particular reason, and Emily couldn't contain herself.

The heavy sigh echoing in the dark room was sad, and Emily could see Spencer running her hands through her hair, a gesture she had acquired in the Army.

"I know it's not much consolation, but when you miss me, close your eyes. I may be away but never gone. And when you fall asleep tonight just remember that we lay under the same stars." Spencer finally spoke, her voice so low that if it weren't for the absolute silence of the room, it would be inaudible.

Emily's eyes returned to the glass wall, which displayed the starry sky. When she bought that apartment four years ago, she wanted only one big window to be able to look up at the sky, but in the end, she ended up with a whole wall that provided that view. Sometimes she enjoyed staring at the stars and wondering if Spencer could see them too.

"And how about our little champion?" Suddenly Spencer's tone became more lively and sweet.

A big smile appeared on Emily's face, and her hands descended to the belly covered by the fine silk of the blue nightgown she wore. There was an elevation in what was once a flat belly.

"Letting mama get more sleep in the mornings, without rushing to hug the toilet." Emily answered with a low laugh.

Spencer laughed. The idea of having a child wasn't a new subject. Even when they were only dating and before Spencer enlisted they had already talked about it and agreed that they would like to become mothers someday. Of course, Spencer's enlistment put the plans on hold for a long time, but after the wedding, as a way of making a surprise to Spencer, Emily began the treatments for the fertilization process, and four months later she received the news that the treatment had worked and she was pregnant. What she really wanted was to be able to surprise Spencer in person, but with her wife in Afghanistan, Emily had to be creative.

Her father had definitely retired from the Army, but he still had many friends, and it was one of them that brought the surprise to Spencer: a box with Emily's first ultrasound photo and a military-themed overalls. Emily was awakened at dawn by a crying Spencer, and she took some time to realize that it was a cry of happiness, as the brunette could barely speak.

Entering the fifth month of pregnancy, Emily's happiness could only be complete if Spencer were by her side. This was a reason for some tension between them, since there was no guarantee that Spencer could be back to watch her son or daughter be born. (Emily wanted to find out sex just at the time of the labor, and Spencer agreed). Emily wished with all her might that Spencer could be by her side at that special moment of their lives. In fact she wished Spencer could have been since the fertilization treatments, but she understood that unfortunately her wife was needed almost on the other side of the world.

"It's good that our champion is giving you some rest and peace. Can I talk to him? "Spencer asked anxiously, almost like a child.

Emily laughed as she took the phone from the pillow and placed it on her belly. She could only imagine the protective mother Spencer would be.

"Hi, my little champion. How are you? Mama said you gave her a break, that's very good. We want a healthy and happy mama, don't you? Your mommy is fine, I cannot wait to see your little face and be able to hold you for the first time. I don't even want to know if Aunt Hanna or Aunt Aria or Grandma Pam will complain, I'll hold you for as long as I want, or until your peacemaker mama asks." Spencer's voice was sweet and gentle, and Emily could hear the smile on her lips.

Emily felt the movements of the child she was carrying. It was incredible how, even over the phone, she somehow recognized Spencer's voice and kicked at the sound of her other mother's voice. As always, tears came to emerge in Emily's eyes, mixed tears of happiness and sadness. She wanted more than anything Spencer's hand on her belly, feeling the kicks.

"Soon I'll be with you Em. I promise. "Spencer spoke in a steady voice, but with a slight tremor of increased emotion.

Emily closed her eyes and wished that moment came as fast as it could. And it's time to say goodbye. As much as they wanted, they couldn't spend hours on the phone. Their contact needed to be over, even if neither of them wanted to.

"I love you. Me and our little champion." Emily murmured softly and emotionally. They never said goodbye on calls or letters; they only spoke "I love you" to always remember.

"I love you both too." Spencer replied, her voice equally low and emotional.

Emily was never the first to hang up, because if it was on her she wanted to keep Spencer there, so the task of ending the momentary connection they had was with Spencer. At the sound of the call being ended, Emily slipped the phone off her stomach and placed it on the bedside table, lying on her side so she could look at the window. With her hands on her belly, she stared at the stars, closed her eyes, and wished she could have Spencer there by her side.

* * *

Emily planned to sleep for most of the day. Although already on maternity leave, she didn't want to leave her team on the eve of a major championship. So she had spent the entire last day in the gym, following the semifinals of the swimming championship. Of the five members of her team who were there, three were gold medals, one was silver and the other was bronze.

Everyone wanted to celebrate the victory, so they went to a restaurant with the rest of the team. Although tired, since she was already eight months pregnant, Emily remained until the end, and even got as a gift a blue overalls with colorful little fishes scattered.

She had arrived very late at the apartment, and then had to call her mother, who insisted on daily calls to find out how Emily was. The following week her mother and father would be coming to her house to accompany the end of Emily's pregnancy, since Spencer wouldn't be there.

Emily closed her eyes. When Spencer said that she couldn't take any breaks, Emily exploded. It was totally unfair for Spencer to miss the birth of their baby. Although Emily understood that orders were orders and that Spencer couldn't do more than she had already done, she needed to discount her frustration on something, and since she didn't want to hurt Spencer more than she already was, she spent almost two weeks without talking to Spencer until accepted that she would be alone on the day of the baby's birth.

While Emily didn't speak to Spencer, the brunette warned the family and friends of the news, and soon new arrangements were made. Pam and Wayne would stay with Emily, while Aria and Hanna were trying everything to clear their schedules and visit Emily as much as they could. Veronica, who had changed a lot in those years with her youngest child far away, not only reduced her workload, but had also asked to be told when Emily went into labor so she could see her grandchild.

As much as she loved the support of her parents, mother-in-law and friends, Emily wanted Spencer to go with her appointments, buy the baby clothes, and set up the bedroom. Her longing grew steadily away from her wife, especially since she hadn't heard from Spencer for two weeks.

Emily was already in a panic when about a month ago there was a bombing at one of the "bases," and American soldiers had been wounded. Emily panicked, especially since she hadn't heard from Spencer a few days ago. But then, two days after the news, she got a call from Spencer, saying that there was everything and she didn't have to worry. And since then she had no news.

The sound of the doorbell ringing made Emily grumble. Even if she had lost sleep, she intended to stay in bed, talking to the baby, a ritual she had developed more often now since her belly was large. She still didn't know the sex, Spencer and she wanted to be surprised at the time of delivery.

Emily didn't expect anyone, so she thought it was a mistake and decided to stay in bed, maybe the person would give up and leave. However the doorbell rang again, more insistent.

"That person deserves my bad mood, whoever it is." Emily grunted in annoyance, kicking the blankets off of the bed and rising.

She just pulled a robe over her nightgown and headed for the door. She was annoyed at being taken out of bed early, and she had no idea who it was. But whoever was, it would have to listen her complain for disturbing her rest.

The doorbell rang again, and Emily didn't even think about looking the peephole, just unlocked the door and opened it in a rush, already firing the words.

"Look, I don't know what's so important to get a pregnant woman out of bed at this time of the morning, but ..." Her voice, initially irritated, vanished as she encountered bright, familiar brown eyes.

"And I thought I would be more welcome." Spencer joked, smiling broadly and putting her hands on her waist.

Emily's chin had fallen, and she brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes flooding with tears almost instantly. Spencer stood in all her glory, uniformed, and with a backpack on her back. It seemed like a dream.

"I'm hallucinating, aren't I?" Emily asked weakly, afraid it was just one of the innumerable dreams she had almost daily, when Spencer returned to her. To home.

Spencer entered the apartment, closing the door behind her and dropping the backpack down, all without taking her eyes, starting to shine with her own tears, off Emily'. Her firm hands touched Emily's waist and pulled her into her body, leaving them as close as possible.

"I'm here my love. And this time, I'm not going anywhere." Spencer murmured, leaning her forehead against Emily's.

"But how? You said you couldn't get back." Emily asked confused. Her hands were clinging to Spencer's shoulders, she wasn't going to leave so soon that hug she missed so much. No one would take her away.

"I couldn't really get back then, because I was going to retire and there was no point in going back before and then having to leave when I could wait a little longer and then stay forever." Spencer replied sweetly, one of her hands coming out of Emily's waist to stroke her belly.

"You're retiring? Not that I'm complaining, because it's going to be great to have you around, but I figured you'd stay a few more years." Emily was surprised. Spencer never mentioned ending her career in the Army so early, even if it had been 10 years serving the country.

Spencer gave an somber and a little suspiciously smile, which raised Emily's eyebrows immediately and made her face her wife with a questioning face.

"So you remember the bombing? I wasn't quite as good as I said I was on the phone." Spencer confessed, a sorrowful expression crossing her face.

Emily would have screamed for omitting the information that she had been hurt, if it wasn't for that lost and sad look Spencer had. Instead of shooting questions, she chose to wait to hear everything.

"I was in the group that was hit by the bombing. We didn't know about the bombs, we had just rescued some people when someone shouted a warning. It was all so fast. It was a mostly discovered area, there weren't many places to hide. As we were running toward the shelter one of the bombs fell behind us. A great friend I did in the Army, Taylor Rowe, pushed me out of danger. I was hit and I was unconscious. He didn't have the same luck, because he took me out of danger and stayed in the impact radius." Spencer said, her voice low, her eyes sad.

Emily hugged her waist, mourning the death of the man who had given his life so Spencer could stay alive. She didn't know him, but would be eternally grateful for giving Spencer a chance to get back to her.

"My injury wasn't so bad, my legs suffered more than the rest of my body, but I didn't want to worry you. I was incommunicable because I was resolving the last issues so that I could officially leave, and I needed to improve my injuries so I could travel. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn't say anything." Spencer finished with a brief smile, rubbing her nose at Emily's in an Eskimo kiss.

"You must be exhausted." Emily took off the rubber band that held Spencer's hair, letting drop it by the shoulders. Her short nails massaged her scalp the way Spencer liked it.

"A little, I won't lie. I arrived at the United States yesterday, but I wanted to personally go see Taylor's family. The news had already been given, but anyway, I wanted to talk to them. He even wanted to meet our baby. He was joking that he was going to teach him how to defend himself." Spencer lowered her voice again, adopting the earlier grieved expression.

Even without knowing him, Emily admired his courage, and lamented the loss of a person who should have been incredible. Spencer had no doubt attached herself to him.

For a while they stood in the same place, holding each other. Spencer was lost in thought, Emily supposed they were related to Taylor Rowe, and she didn't want to interrupt. She didn't know how to comfort her wife, so she just caressed her, letting Spencer return in her own time.

Then Spencer shook her head, and smiled, her hands touching Emily's belly.

"It's a good thing our champion is following the deadline and I'll be able to see him be born." Spencer said excitedly, her eyes shining.

Emily smiled, covering Spencer's hands with hers. And then she felt a little kick in her belly. Spencer's eyes widened, and tears flooded them almost instantly. It was the first time she felt the baby kick.

Emily was already familiar with the kicks, but at that moment, the emotion took over her, and undoubtedly this was due to Spencer's presence there, feeling their baby, as she had both dreamed and wanted.

The brunette fell to her knees in a thud, and for a second, Emily was worried that she had hurt herself, but the worry was gone when Spencer laid her forehead on her belly and laid several kisses.

"Mommy's here, champ. Mommy finally came home to you and mama. Because you are my home, wherever you are. Soon you'll be with us, and mommy will never leave your side or mama's side. You will never be alone again." Spencer murmured in a low, choked voice. If it hadn't been for the quiet apartment, Emily doubted she would be able to hear it.

The baby kicked harder, as if it were manifesting itself about what Spencer said. And the tears of the two women fell harder.

It could have been hours and Emily wouldn't have noticed. She was happy, truly and whole happy for the first time after 10 years.

"I wish I could stay more like this, but my knees are killing me. They aren't the same after the explosion." Spencer joked as she rose with a slight grimace, not without first kissing Emily's belly and getting another kick.

"I'm so glad you're here." Emily smiled. She felt she could explode with happiness at any moment.

"You and me, Em." Spencer said affectionately, taking Emily's face in her hands and wiping tears from her cheeks.

Emily copied her gesture, and wiped away Spencer's tears. The brunette had a wide smile, her brown eyes glittering. Without thinking much, she pulled Spencer's face to hers, crushing their lips.

With a hoarse groan, Spencer lowered her hands to Emily's waist, pulling her body as close to her as possible, as far as the belly would allow. It was a kiss of longing, passion, happiness and love. It was a kiss of reunion, of promise to never be apart again.

Emily could spend a long time kissing Spencer, trying to kill a small part of her longing, but oxygen was necessary, and panting, they had to let their mouths go. But their bodies were still together, their foreheads propped against each other.

"You'll never be alone. Not anymore. As of today you won't be able to get rid of me, Emily Fields-Hastings." Spencer stated seriously, but with a sweet smile and a passionate look.

"I'll never want to get rid of you, Spencer Fields-Hastings, you can be sure of that." Emily replied, returning her smile with one of her own.

Spencer smiled even more, then abruptly lifted Emily up and started to spin her. Emily let out a scream, but eventually surrendered to the sound of Spencer's laughter.

In Spencer's arms after so long, with their baby kicking her belly, Emily could finally say that her home was complete.


End file.
